- Trump backed off from a promise to let Ukraine manufacture its own Patriot air defense interceptors, telling reporters that handing over the underlying technology was “a hard thing to give away” during a cabinet meeting at Camp David.
- The Camp David retreat was billed by the White House as “something different” and was the first such meeting at the presidential compound of Trump’s second term; it also became the venue for Trump to unpick, in real time a commitment made a few days earlier.
- Asked about granting Kyiv a license to build Patriots domestically, Trump was noncommittal: “We have not agreed to that,” he said, adding “We’re talking about it, but it’s a hard thing to give away that kind of technology.”
- Trump warned of risks in giving away the weapons: “They can suddenly turn on you. You know that is possible.”
- Trump cited the interceptor’s speed and capability, saying it travels at “8,600 miles an hour”, recalled five missiles fired at Jordan being shot down in sequence, and asserted “Nobody else has that capacity”, while saying Washington would be building many plants to produce Patriots and Tomahawk missiles domestically.
- The report places the issue against a global shortage – compounded by the volume of Patriot and Tomahawk stock expended in Washington’s confrontation with Iran.
Former President Donald Trump has reversed his promise to allow Ukraine to produce its own Patriot air defense interceptors, stating during a cabinet meeting at Camp David, "We have not agreed to that" and emphasizing the challenges of transferring such technology.1
This retreat comes just days after Trump had indicated a willingness to discuss the matter with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during their recent White House meeting. Trump described the technology as a "hard thing to give away" and expressed concerns about the risks involved, stating, "They can suddenly turn on you. You know that is possible."
He elaborated on the capabilities of the Patriot system, noting that the interceptor travels at an impressive speed of 8,600 miles an hour. Trump recounted a past incident where five missiles were successfully intercepted, illustrating the system's effectiveness with the phrase "bing bing bing bing" to describe the rapid success of the interceptions.
Despite the current global shortage of such weapons, exacerbated by the ongoing conflict with Iran, Trump assured that the U.S. would continue to build many plants for producing Patriots and Tomahawk missiles domestically, but not in Ukraine for the time being.8
“The reversal came at the first cabinet meeting of Trump's second term at Camp David, where he called the interceptor tech 'a hard thing to give away.' He separately cited the system's 8,600 mph speed and warned, 'They can suddenly turn on you.'”
The Guardian
